There is no doubt we have serious issues with consumerism, and the push through marketing for us to own and consume far more than we need, and often to use things that we either don’t need or are bad for us. All to make a dollar, or a billion dollars.

One simple example of consumerism (and parenting?) gone mad – I know a six year old who recently counted her toy cats. Seventy one. Many of those are part of ‘collections’ that push children to push parents to keep buying and buying. ‘the Kitty in my pocket’ collection has at least four series of twelve kittens. That’s forty eight of just one brand. That’s just a small tip of a child consumer iceberg.

But nature doesn’t work by making everyone equal. It works through competition – competition for territory, competition for food, competition for mating partners, competition for life.

Can we ever come close to having a perfect and equal human society in a ruthless and often unforgiving natural world?

Corky

Since time immemorial human beings have been adorning themselves. Status has always been based on bigger, better, more – whether it is cattle, cars or intricate braids in the hair. In some cultures the amount spent on these things bears no resemblance to the relative fiscal conservatism we practice in NZ.

David

Really? Where on earth has this come from, there is plenty of doubt, what you call consumerism has delivered the best living standards the world has ever seen.

“One simple example of consumerism (and parenting?) gone mad – I know a six year old who recently counted her toy cats. Seventy one. Many of those are part of ‘collections’ that push children to push parents to keep buying and buying. ‘the Kitty in my pocket’ collection has at least four series of twelve kittens. That’s forty eight of just one brand. That’s just a small tip of a child consumer iceberg.”

Have you gone all Garth Morgan and want to go around killing children’s toy cats? Seriously, a child having some toy cats is a serious issue?